


Lights Will Guide You Home

by chasethewind



Series: 10 Fics in 10 Days [5]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Miracles, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Hanukkah, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Season/Series 04, Speculation, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-08 13:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5498948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasethewind/pseuds/chasethewind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Oliver sneaking the menorah into felicity's hospital room so he and Donna can continue lighting the candles for the rest of the holiday. In hopes that the lights will guide her back to them.</p><p>Prompt: “you’re in the hospital for the holidays so i came in while you were sleeping to decorate your room i love you merry christmas”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lights Will Guide You Home

As Donna walked through the door, a riot of colored lights hanging in the window that overlooked Star City assaulted her eyes. Standing on a chair off to the side, she found Oliver placing one more strand along the unfinished edge. In complete shock and awe, she couldn't believe her future son-in-law had done something so sweet for her daughter. Even though Felicity wasn't awake yet to appreciate it, she knew she'd be touched by his gesture as well.

It was no wonder why Felicity loved him so much. Oliver had one of the biggest hearts Donna had ever had the pleasure of getting to see firsthand. The man her daughter had chosen to marry was everything they could both ask for: kind, caring, and so full of love that he could barely find ways to express it. Hanging colored lights around Felicity's hospital room on Christmas Eve was just one of them.

"Oh, Oliver…" Donna cooed once he climbed off the chair and was standing on solid ground. He immediately turned to look at her, a warm smile radiating on his face. It masked the pain she knew he felt after what had happened to him and Felicity two weeks prior.

Both he and Donna had been camping out at the hospital waiting for their loved one to wake up while a revolving door of visitors came to see her throughout the day: Thea, John, Laurel, Quentin, and a few people from Central City she still hadn't been formally introduced to. They all stopped by and spent time with Felicity, but only she and Oliver stayed around the clock, watching over her like hawks.

Donna had a feeling John spent quite some time standing guard over the door because he always came in every morning with three fresh cups of coffee and all sorts of breakfast foods from a bakery nearby. She appreciated him all the more for it, and every morning she'd make it her mission to push him into Felicity's room so he could spend some time with her too while she and Oliver ate.

Speaking of Oliver, he was sliding the chair back into its designated spot beside the bed before crossing the room and standing next her. "Do you like it?" he hesitantly asked.

"Oh, sweetheart, I love it!" Donna exclaimed before turning to give him a hug.

"Do you think Felicity will like it?"

"Of course she will. I'm just not sure about the nurses."

Oliver chuckled softly then reached down, grabbing something out of a black duffle bag near his feet. Donna gasped when she realized what it was. The beautiful silver menorah she'd gotten Felicity two years earlier came out of the bag along with a small box of candles. "I figured since we missed the last day of Hanukkah, we could celebrate here," Oliver said. "I mean, if that's okay. I wasn't able to look into whether or not celebrating Hanukkah late was frowned upon, so…"

"My daughter really is rubbing off on you," Donna commented, her smile growing wider as tears touched the corners of her eyes. "And I think it would be okay. Besides, maybe our last gift will be the one we want most." She glanced over at Felicity, who had remained in a drug induced coma for almost two weeks. It had only been two days since the doctors determined she had healed enough from her injuries and reversed it. The waiting game soon began and they knew it could take a while before she regained consciousness.

"I hope so," Oliver sighed, following Donna's line of sight. He stepped away from her to push the rolling tray where they'd been sharing meals for the past couple of weeks to the foot of Felicity's bed. The menorah was placed on top right in the center so everyone in the room could see it, especially Felicity. Tonight's lighting of the candles was only meant for them since Hanukkah was technically over, and that's how Donna played it.

She recited the blessings she remembered from Hebrew school before lighting each of the eight candles then stood back. Her hand found its way into Oliver's, holding it tight as she silently prayed for her daughter to wake up. It didn't matter to her whether it was a Hanukkah or Christmas miracle. God was God in her opinion, so she prayed to both.

The silence spread for a good half hour as the candles flickered and the lights twinkled in the window. Donna felt Oliver step a little closer to her, until he could wrap an arm around her shoulder and pull her in for a hug. In that respect, he was like a little boy seeking comfort from his mother. Unfortunately, he'd lost his mother two years earlier, leaving him and his sister to navigate adulthood alone.

Donna did her best to give him the love and support he so desperately needed. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and although he was a good half a foot taller than she was with her heels on, she managed to guide his head into the crook of her neck. For several minutes, Oliver remained there, his eyes closed as hot tears streamed down his cheeks and onto the dark red cotton of her sweater. Donna didn't mind, though. She took it upon herself to provide him with the comfort he sought.

As the first of the candles melted down and their flames flickered out, Oliver stood back up, wiping his tears with the backs of his hands as he murmured, "I'm sorry, Donna. I…"

"Shh… Nothing to be sorry for, Oliver. I'm here for you just like I'm here for Felicity," Donna replied. She smiled up at him, adding, "And please, call me Mom. You're going to be my son-in-law soon enough, so we can skip the formalities."

She watched as the smile slowly began to crawl along his lips until it turned into a full blown grin. Up until then, Donna didn't realize just how close she and Oliver had become ever since the beginning of that summer. She really did see him as one of her children now and not just as Felicity's future husband. And seeing just how deeply he'd been affected by her small gesture galvanized her place in his life.

"Mom," he tested it out.

"My beautiful boy," Donna replied, rubbing her hand up and down his back as they both turned to look over at Felicity's bed.

She saw something that caught her eye. Tilting her head slightly, Donna stepped closer, closely watching Felicity's right hand. She thought it had twitched, but the doctors told her it was most likely involuntary. Still, if her daughter was waking up, she didn't want to miss it, and neither did Oliver. When Felicity's hand moved again, this time with intent, Donna rushed to one side of her bed as Oliver rushed to the other.

"Felicity," she whispered. "Felicity, sweetheart…" Donna grabbed her hand, letting it rest gently in her palm. "If you can hear me, squeeze my hand." She felt the slightest of movements, but it was enough to confirm that her daughter was fighting her way back toward the light. "That's it, baby girl," she encouraged while on the verge of tears. This time, Felicity's touch felt stronger.

Donna glanced up at Oliver, the first of many joyful tears falling from her eyes, and said, "She's waking up!"

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to Felicity's other hand.

"Oh, of course! Of course!" Donna exclaimed, stepping away from the bed.

She watched Oliver lean in close as his fingers wrapped around her left hand. "Hi, honey," he whispered into Felicity's ear, his voice cracking with the last syllable. His other hand reached out to stroke along her temple, brushing away errant strands of her tangled blonde hair. "That's it, baby. Open your eyes. Come back to me," Oliver murmured, his lips pressing soft kisses to her forehead and cheek.

Donna continued to watch, amazed by what she was witnessing. Felicity's eyes fluttered beneath heavy lids for several minutes before they finally opened just a sliver. It was enough to see the bright blue irises beneath, and Donna couldn't help the tears of joy that now streamed down her cheeks in a torrent.

"Hello, my love," Oliver whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her lips as he steered clear of the tube feeding oxygen through her nose. He was beaming, his smile brighter than the twinkling lights bordering the window. Felicity didn't say anything back. She sighed, her eyes fluttering shut, but a smile appearing on her lips.

It would be a while before she fully regained consciousness and found her voice again, but right now, all that mattered was Felicity waking up. With that hurdle in her recovery finally crossed, Donna knew her daughter would be okay. Glancing up at the clock, she realized it was well past midnight making this a true Christmas miracle. She couldn't have asked for anything more.


End file.
